Traveling overhead suction cleaner



June 30, 1964 R. BLACK, JR 3,138,818

TRAVELING OVERHEAD SUCTION CLEANER Filed July 2, 1962 3 Sheets-Sheet 1R0 BERT L. BLACK,JR.,

INVENTOR.

mqmmhw ATTOE/VE Y5 TRAVELING OVERHEAD SUCTION CLEANER Filed July 2, 19623 Sheets-Sheet 2 l l5oo) I I M2 490 F POEERT L. BLACK,JE.

1 9- 4 INVENTOR BY @MALMW ATTORNEYS June 30, 1964 R. L. BLACK, JR

TRAVELING OVERHEAD SUCTION CLEANER S Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed July 2, 1962INVENTOR. EGBEET L. BLAcK, J12.

BY EEEEEEEMEW ATTORNEYS United States Patent Office 7 3,138,818 PatentedJune 30, 1964 3,138,818 TRAVELING OVERHEAD SUCTION CLEANER Robert L.Black, Jr., Charlotte, N.C., assignor to Parks- Crarner Company,Fitchburg, Mass, a corporation of Massachusetts Filed July 2, 1962, Ser.No. 206,939 8 Claims. (Cl. 15-312) This invention relates to the art ofdisposing of residual textile fibers generated by textile manufacturingoperations and is particularly concerned with removal from the airambient fibers, generally known as fly, which are generated in cardrooms and other fiber preparation rooms.

This application is a continuation-in-part of my copending applicationSerial No. 128,511, filed August 1, 1961, now U.S. Patent No. 3,055,038,dated September 25, 1962, and entitled Traveling Cleaning Apparatus.

In textile rooms in which textile strands are processed, such as roomshaving roving frames, winders, spinning frames, twister frames or loomstherein, the problem of disposition of residual lint has beeneffectively overcome by the use of travelling suction and/or blowingcleaners of the general type disclosed in said co-pending application.However, the lint problem in card rooms and similar rooms, such aspicker rooms and fiber blending rooms, is quite different from that ofrooms in which strands are wound onto and/ or off of suitable cores. Itis well known that there is much more fly generated in a card room thanin a spinning room, because of the very contrasting nature of thetextile operations performed therein.

Textile yarns, as processed in spinning rooms, comprise filaments orstrands of conjoint fibers, but in a card room, the fibers are generallyin the form of loose fluify masses or slivers or very thin webs fromwhich substantial amounts of fly are cast during the handling thereof sothat the removal of lint from the air poses the most aggravating problemin card rooms as opposed to the removal of lint from machine and floorsurfaces, as is required in spinning rooms.

Also, many hand trucks, sliver cans, lap rolls and other articles arenecessarily stored, in somewhat arbitrary fashion, in a card room andare frequently shifted from place to place. The usual suction and/orblowing nozzles traveling adjacent the floor and card machines would notonly be encumbered by such articles, but might also interfere with thehandling and shifting of such articles.

It is therefore an object of this invention to provide an improvedself-contained traveling overhead suction cleaner particularly adaptedfor use in card rooms and which includes a rigid collecting filtersurface through which air is drawn by an air impeller to attract fly tosaid surface where it accummulates as lint, and including a suctionnozzle closely adjacent said surface, with means effecting relativerotational or traversing movement between the collecting surface and thenozzle and conveying the lint sucked into the nozzle to a collectionzone traveling with the suction cleaner.

In its preferred embodiment the traveling suction cleaner of the presentinvention is a self-contained unit comprising a driven carriage movablealong an overhead track and supporting a pair of spaced coaxiallydisposed housings having respective rotary impellers therein. Onehousing is of tubular form, open at both ends, and has a filter orscreen covering its suction end. The other housing is preferably ofvolute form to form a centrifugal suction blower to the inlet of which asuction nozzle is connected and to the outlet of which is connected acollection chamber of at least partially porous or foraminateconstruction. The mouth of the suction nozzle is disposed closelyadjacent the outer surface of the screen, and means is provided forrotating the screen to move the same past the nozzle so that lintcollected on the screen is sucked off the same and conveyed to thecollection chamber.

Some of the objects of the invention having been stated, other objectswill appear as the description proceeds, when taken in connection withthe accompanying drawings, in which- FIGURE 1 is a side elevation of theimproved traveling overhead suction cleaner mounted on a portion of atrack adapted to be suspended from the ceiling of a textile room such asa card room or above other similar textile manufacturing operations;

FIGURE 2 is a top plan view of the structure shown in FIGURE 1 partiallyin section and looking down substantially along line 2-2 in FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 3 is an enlarged end elevation of the traveling overhead suctioncleaner looking at the right-hand side of the structure shown in FIGURE1;

FIGURE 4 is a fragmentary sectional plan view taken substantially alongline 44 in FIGURE 3; and

FIGURE 5 is a longitudinal vertical sectional view through the apparatustaken along line 5-5 in FIG- URE 3.

Referring more specifically to the drawings, the numerals 411) and 411indicate, respectively, a relatively large lower main housing or suctionblower and a relatively small, upper auxiliary housing or suctionblower, which are suspended from an overhead track broadly designated at412, by means of a common carriage broadly designated at 413.

Track 412 may be of conventional or other construction and is suitablysuspended from the ceiling or other superstructure in a textile room toenable movement of the traveling cleaner over the textile manufacturingoperation. In this instance, track 412 comprises a pair of opposedflanges 414 suitably suspended from the ceiling, not shown, by means ofbrackets 415, which brackets also support suitable electrodes orconductors 416 which are suitably insulated from brackets 415 and extendlongitudinally of and parallel to the flanges 414. The conductors 416are connected to opposed sides of a suitable source of electricalenergy, not shown, as is well known.

Carriage 413 comprises a substantially horizontally disposed main framemember 420 in the form of a channel bar whose flanges project upwardlyand engage a pair of longitudinally spaced substantially 'U-shapedbrackets or trolleys 421, 422. The trolleys 421, 422 have respectivepairs of rollers or wheels 423, 424- journaled thereon, straddling thetrack 412 and riding upon the flanges 414. Trolleys 421, 422 aresuitably secured to main frame member 420 by bolts 425 which extendthrough the web of channel bar 420 and also extend through spacingblocks 426 and through the lateral lower portion of each trolley 421,422 (FIGURE 5).

Carriage 413 may be propelled along track 412 by any suitable means and,in this instance, the trolley is propelled along track 412 by means ofan electric motor 430 suitably secured to one end portion of, anddepending from, frame member 420 of carriage 413. Although the travelingsuction cleaner may travel in either direction along track 412, the endportion of channel bar 42 from which electric motor 430 is suspendedshall be termed as the rear portion thereof for purposes of orientation.Electric motor 430 has a pair of conductors a*, b leading therefrom tosuitable brushes or sliding contacts 432 which yieldably engage distalsurfaces of the electrodes 416.

In this instance, the brushes 432 are suitably secured to, but insulatedfrom, the upper portions of pivoted arms 433 whose lower portions arepivotally connected to angle brackets 434 carried by trolley 421. Theflanged upper portions of brackets 434 have the upper ends ofcompression springs 436 positioned thereagainst, whose lower ends bearagainst underlying portions of the pivoted arms 433, thus urging theupper ends of the pivoted arms 433 inwardly toward electrodes 416.

Electric motor 430 is preferably of the gear-reduction type and has ashaft 440 extending laterally therefrom on which a pulley 441 issuitably secured. Pulley 44-1 has an endless belt 442 mounted thereonwhich extends upwardly and is also mounted on a pulley 443. Pulley 443is fixed on a shaft 444 (FIGURE 5) which extends across and above framemember 420 and is journaled in opposed upright portions of asubstantially U-shaped bracket 445. Opposed portions of bracket 445straddle frame member 420 and each has a vertically extending slot 446therethrough which is loosely penetrated by a screw (FIGURE 1) threadedinto the corresponding flange of main frame member 420. As best shown inFIGURES 3 and 5, the lower substantially horizontal or bridging portionof bracket 445 is loosely penetrated by a pair of screws d which extendupwardly and are threaded through the web of channel bar 420.

The medial portion of shaft 444 has a carriage driving roller ortraction wheel 447 fixed thereon which is preferably made from ayieldable material, such as rubber or the like, and which bears againstthe lower surface of track 412. It is apparent that the screws dfacilitate adjustment of bracket 445 so that the roller 447 may tightlyengage the lower surface of track 412.

It is thus seen that the flow of current through electrodes 416 causescurrent to fiow through electric motor 430 to drive pulley 441, belt442, pulley 443 and roller 44'] and to thereby cause the carriage 413 tomove along track 412.

The auxiliary housing 411 is a form of centrifugal blower, in that it isof volute form in plan (FIGURE 2). Auxiliary housing 411 includes topand bottom walls 450, 451 and a side Wall 452 which form an offsetoutlet portion 454 to which an extension duct 455 is communicativelyconnected. The free end portion of duct 455 has a downwardly projecting,preferably circular, outlet portion 456 thereon to which thesubstantially frusto-conical upper end portion 457 of a travelingcollection chamber 460 is suitably detachably connected, as at 461. Thecollection chamber 460 may be in the form of a porous or foraminate bag,as shown in FIGURE 1, or it may be of the type disclosed in U.S. PatentNo. 3.011.202, for example, wherein the collection chamber also isbroadly designated at 60. The type and size of collection chamber usedwith the present apparatus may, of course, depend upon the nature of thetextile manufacturing operation over which the track 412 may extend andthe size of the room in which the apparatus is used.

The auxiliary housing 411 is supported and fixed against rotation by apair of strap frame members 465, 466 which are parts of carriage 413. Asbest shown in FIGURE 3, frame members 465, 466 are suitably secured toopposed sides of frame member 424 then extend downwardly in divergingrelationship past substantially diametrically opposed sides of auxiliaryhousing 411 and then inwardly. The inwardly projecting lower portions offrame members 465, 466 are suitably secured to the lower wall 451 ofhousing or centrifugal blower 411, as by screws 467 (FIGURE 3).

It is thus seen that the upper housing 411 rests upon and is suitablysecured to the substantially horizontal lower portions of the framemembers 465, 466 of carriage 413. The upper housing 411 has an airimpeller or fan 47 0 therein (FIGURE 5) which is fixed on the upper endof the shaft 471 of an electric motor 472 suitably secured to anddepending from the lower wall 451 of auxiliary housing 411, as by screws473.

The shaft 471 of electric motor 472 also projects from the lower end ofelectric motor 472 and has a relatively large fan or air impeller 475fixed thereon within the lower housing 410. The lower housing 410comprises an annular wall 476 which is preferably made from sheet metaland has an inwardly projecting annular flange 477 on the lower endthereof which defines a relatively large air inlet opening for the loweror main housing 410. The air inlet opening of housing 410 is covered bya rigid substantially circular filter or screen 480 which is suitablysecured to the flange 477, as by rivets 481. The impeller 475 ispositioned closely above the filter 480 and motor 472 is positionedpartially within the wall 476 of housing 410. The annular wall 476 is ofsubstantially greater diameter than the mean diameter of auxiliaryhousing 411 and, also, the upper end of housing 476 is open, thusdefining a discharge opening through which the air drawn into housing410 through filter 480 is discharged to thus dislodge lint and otherlight material from track 412 and from the ceiling and other surfacesthereabove.

The electric motor 472 may be considered as a part of carriage 413,since the main housing 410 of the traveling cleaner is mounted forrotation on the casing of electric motor 472 and is substantiallyconcentric with the impeller 475. To this end, it will be observed inFIG- URE 5 that the lower portion of the casing of motor 472 has anannular flange 485 fixed thereon or formed integral therewith, whichflange carries an annular race 486 upon which an annular support ring487 is supported for rotational movement thereon. Ring 487 has aplurality of circularly spaced, radially extending spokes or arms 490attached thereto or formed integral therewith, which extend outwardlyand are suitably secured to the inner surface of the annular wall 476 ofhousing 410 whereby the main housing 410 is supported for rotation bycarriage 413 about an axis substantially concentric with the axis ofimpeller 475.

Means are provided for imparting rotation to main housing 416 at arelatively slow speed as compared to the speed of impeller 475. In thisinstance, the means for imparting rotation to housing 419 comprises apair of closely spaced staggered rollers 492, 493 made from a yieldablematerial, such as rubber, and which engage respective outer and innersurfaces of annular wall 476 of housing 410. The outer roller 492 is adriven roller and the inner roller 493 is an idler roller.

The driven roller 492 is driven by means of electric motor 430.Therefore, electric motor 430 has a gear box 495 mounted thereon intowhich the shaft 440 of electric motor 430 extends and which has a bevelgear 496 fixed thereon. Gear 496 meshes with a bevel gear 497 fixed onthe upper end of a shaft 500 journaled in the lower wall of gear box 495and projecting downwardly therefrom. Roller 492 is fixed on the lowerend of shaft 500.

The idler roller 493 is rotatably mounted on the lower end of a shaft502 whose upper end is fixed in a bracket 503 (FIGURES 3 and 5) havingan elongate slot 594 therein which is loosely penetrated by screws 505for adjustably securing bracket 503 to the bottom wall of gear box 495.It is apparent that the slot 504 in bracket 503 permits roller 493 to beadjusted toward and away from the inner surface of the annular wall 476of main housing 410. The electric motor 439 may also be adjustable in alike manner relative to main frame member 42 of carriage 415. It i thusseen that motor 430 imparts rotation to main housing 410 andits filter.480, thus. effecting relative rotational movement between filter 48%)and the elongate month 510 of a suction nozzle 511.

In this instance, suction nozzle 511 is stationary, but it is apparentthat the suction nozzle may rotate about an axis substantiallyconcentric with the axis of, but relative to, filter 480 withoutdeparting from the spirit of the invention. The mouth or inlet opening510 of suction nozzle 511 is disposed closely adjacent the lower surfaceor inlet side of filter or screen 480 and extends from a point adjacentthe center of filter 480 radially outwardly to a point adjacent theperimeter of filter 480. Thus, with each revolution of filter 480, theentire outer surface or lint collecting surface of filter 4S0 traversesthe mouth 510 of suction nozzle 511.

Suction nozzle 511 is connected to the inlet end of a duct 512 whichextends upwardly past the rotatable main housing 410, past thestationary auxiliary housing 411 and then inwardly where it iscommunicatively connected to the upper wall 450 of auxiliary housing 411for communication with the interior of housing 411 through an air inlet513.

It is thus seen that I have provided an improved selfcontained travelingsuction cleaner for removing from the air ambient fibers which aregenerated by a textile operation and wherein, as the traveling cleaneris propelled along track 412, the fan or impeller 475 draws air throughfilter 480 to attract fly from the adjacent areas of the room past whichthe traveling cleaner moves, and which fly collects as lint on thecollecting surface of filter 480. Since housing 410 rotates continuouslyduring the movement of the traveling cleaner along track 412, the filter480 is continuously rotated past the mouth 510 of nozzle 511 so thatlint which accumulates on filter 480 is withdrawn therefrom and directedto the inlet of suction blower 411 where the suction current isconverted to a blowing current to blow the lint into the collectionchamber 460 traveling with the traveling cleaner. The collection chamber460 may be removed from the duct 455 periodically to empty the collectedlint therefrom.

In the drawings and specification there has been set forth a preferredembodiment of the invention and, although specific terms are employed,they are used in a generic and descriptive sense only and not forpurposes of limitation, the scope of the invention being defined in theclaims.

I claim:

1. A traveling suction cleaner adapted to be mounted on a trackextending over a textile manufacturing operation in a textile mill andcomprising;

(a) a carriage,

(b) an electric motor on said carriage,

(c) first and second spaced air impellers driven by said motor,

(d) a first housing enclosing said first impeller and forming an airinlet at one end thereof and having an air outlet,

(e) a second, volute housing enclosing said second impeller and spacedfrom said first housing,

(1'') means connecting both housings tosaid carriage,

(g) said second housing having an air inlet and an air outlet,

(11) a collection chamber connected to said last-named outlet,

(i) a filter covering the inlet of said first housing,

( 1') a suction nozzle connected to the inlet of said second housing anddisposed closely adjacent the outer surface of said filter, and

(k) means to efiect relative rotational movement between the filter andsaid nozzle.

2. A traveling suction cleaner adapted to be mounted on a trackextending over a textile manufacturing operation in a textile mill andcomprising;

(a) a carriage,

(b) an electric motor on said carriage,

(c) first and second coaxially spaced air impellers operativelyconnected to said motor,

(d) a first substantially circular, tubular, housing encircling saidfirst impeller and forming an air inlet at one end thereof and an airoutlet at its other end,

(e) a second, volute housing enclosing said second impeller and spacedfrom said first housing,

(f) means connecting both housings to said carriage,

(g) said second housing having an air inlet and an air outlet,

(h) a collection chamber connected to said last-named outlet,

(1) a filter covering said inlet of said first housing,

(j) a suction nozzle connected to the inlet of said second housing anddisposed closely adjacent and extending substantially radially of theouter surface of said filter, and

(k) means to elfect relative rotational movement between the filter andsaid nozzle.

3. A traveling suction cleaner adapted to be mounted on a trackextending over a textile manufacturing operation in a textile mill andcomprising;

(a) a carriage,

(b) an electric motor on said carriage,

(c) first and second coaxially and vertically spaced air impellersoperatively connected to said motor,

(d) a first substantially circular, tubular housing encircling saidfirst impeller and forming an air inlet at its lower end and an airoutlet at its upper end,

(e) a second volute housing enclosing said second impeller and spacedfrom said first housing,

(f) means connecting both housings to said carriage,

(g) said second housing having an air inlet and an air outlet,

(h) a collection chamber connected to said last-named outlet,

(1') a filter covering the inlet of said first housing,

(j) a suction nozzle disposed closely adjacent and extendingsubstantially radially of the outer surface of said filter,

(k) duct means connecting said nozzle to the inlet of said secondhousing, and

(1) means to rotate said filter relative to said nozzle.

4. A structure according to claim 3, in which said motor has asubstantially vertical shaft extending therethrough and said impellersare operatively connected to said motor by being fixed on the shaft withsaid first impeller being on the lower end of said shaft beneath themotor and said second impeller being on the upper end of said shaftabove the motor.

5. A structure according to claim 3 in which said first housing isspaced beneath said second housing, said second housing being fixedagainst rotation, and the axes of the impellers being substantiallyconcentric with the axis of rotation of said filter.

6. A structure according to claim 5, wherein said filter is locatedadjacent the bottom of said first housing, said second housing having anupper wall, said air inlet of the second housing being formed in saidupper wall, and said duct means comprising a duct extendingsubstantially radially outwardly from said last-named inlet anddownwardly past both housings to said nozzle.

7. A structure according to claim 5, wherein said filter is locatedadjacent the bottom of and is fixed to said first housing, said firsthousing comprising an annular wall, said means to rotate said filtercomprising a pair of rollers straddling said annular wall and havingtheir peripheral surfaces engaging inner and outer surfaces of saidwall, a second electric motor on said carriage, and one of said rollersbeing operatively connected to and driven by said second motor.

8. A structure according to claim 7, including a traction wheeljournaled on said carriage and adapted to engage said track, and meansoperatively connecting said second motor to said traction wheel fordriving the same.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS2,364,877 Smellie Dec. 12, 1944 2,406,733 Acheson Sept. 2, 19463,055,038 Black Sept. 25, 1962

1. A TRAVELING SUCTION CLEANER ADAPTED TO BE MOUNTED ON A TRACKEXTENDING OVER A TEXTILE MANUFACTURING OPERATION IN A TEXTILE MILL ANDCOMPRISING; (A) A CARRIAGE, (B) AN ELECTRIC MOTOR ON SAID CARRIAGE, (C)FIRST AND SECOND SPACED AIR IMPELLERS DRIVEN BY SAID MOTOR, (D) A FIRSTHOUSING ENCLOSING SAID FIRST IMPELLER AND FORMING AN AIR INLET AT ONEEND THEREOF AND HAVING AN AIR OUTLET, (E) A SECOND, VOLUTE HOUSINGENCLOSING SAID SECOND IMPELLER AND SPACED FROM SAID FIRST HOUSING, (F)MEANS CONNECTING BOTH HOUSINGS TO SAID CARRIAGE, (G) SAID SECOND HOUSINGHAVING AN AIR INLET AND AN AIR OUTLET, (H) A COLLECTION CHAMBERCONNECTED TO SAID LAST-NAMED OUTLET,